June 30, 2017

Happy birthday, Canada! Unlike the young whippersnappers in Billings, Canada is not turning 29 this year, but is celebrating 150 years of nationhood. Like anyone celebrating a milestone, we can reflect on moments of pride and accomplishment as well as darker moments that still require healing. Here’s to moving forward together in the spirit of respect, peace and mutual prosperity.

It’s a tough act to follow, but Canada isn’t the only one celebrating a milestone. A big happy birthday goes out to Shirley P. who recently turned 29. Not bad for a great-grandma!

4elements is hosting a special movie event on July 8th. Come out to Norm’s Park for a 7pm screening of 'Moose River Crossing' followed by a Circle Q&A and discussion with director, producer and writer, Shirley Cheechoo. Proudly sponsored by Kakekalanicks (https://www.kakekalanicks.org/) and co-presented by Billings Public Library.

Last weekend Billings hosted the second annual Holistic Health Fair. Visitors from all over the Island had the chance to explore a wide range of approaches to improving the health of body, mind and spirit. Congrats!  

On July 1st, visit the Recreation Committee at the fire hall to give your car a bit of TLC. A donation gets your car hand-washed by an enthusiastic crew of committee members. After sprucing up the car, why not head down to the covered market for the Anglican church’s annual yard sale, bake sale and BBQ!

And don’t forget - the Billings Library Book Fair & Bake Sale will be at the Park Centre July 5th, from 11am - 2pm! Lunch will also be available to purchase. Donations of books can be brought to the library between now and then, while baking donations can be dropped off at the Park Centre the morning of the 5th.

The Old Mill Heritage Centre has been fundraising to cover the costs of the amazing, one-of-a-kind, Lester B. Pearson exhibit, and a local supporter has come forward with an offer to match donations up to a total of $500! For more information contact the Old Mill Heritage Centre at 705-282-1442 or email oldmillheritage@billingstwp.ca to make your donation as impactful as possible.

Euchre continues each week for the cardsharps in the area. Last week’s tournament results are:  1st - Claude & Marie LaFond; 2nd (Tie) - Muriel Hunt & Lil Boyd / Aline Marois & Lilly Third; 4th - Bev Pickard & Sally Langtree. Loners - Muriel Hunt & Lil Boyd; Low Score - Kal Merrylees & Wilma Wright; Door Prize - Aline Marois.

Using the latest in reconnaissance methods, Team Fergmeijer has managed to get a copy of the latest Canadian citizenship test. It turns out, the officials give bonus points if...    

- You think Peter Mansbridge is sexy.

- You know Casey and Finnegan are NOT a Celtic rock band or imported beer.

- You owe more money on your snowmobile than on your car.

- At least twice a year, your kitchen doubles as a meat processing plant.

- You think the start of deer season is a national holiday.

- You can play road hockey on skates.

- You have worn shorts and a parka at the same time

On that very Canadian note, have a great week, eh?!

June 23, 2017

It’s officially summer here on the Island. To be fair, it’s been pretty summer-like for awhile now. Team Fergmeijer has started keeping a spare set of oven mitts in our glove compartment for those days the steering wheel feels like it could take on a pot roast.

Kick off the first Saturday of the summer with a movie night! Tomorrow night, the Billings Library will be showing Power Rangers at 7pm. Admission is free, as usual. Check out the library Facebook page for upcoming show dates, titles and trailers. And don’t forget that the library is also offering a variety of board games for all ages, available for playing in the library or checking out for a week of fun at home.

The Economic Development Committee is hosting the Kagawong Holistic Health Fair at the Park Centre on June 24th, complete with information on holistic health and wellness, a water ceremony, medicine walk, drumming, group meditation, talks, displays and vendors. Check out their Facebook page by searching “Kagawong Holistic Health Fair.”

On July 1st, visit the Recreation Committee at the fire hall to give your car a bit of TLC. A donation gets your car hand-washed by an enthusiastic crew of committee members. After sprucing up the car, why not head down to the covered market for the Anglican church’s annual yard sale, bake sale and bbq!

Team Fergmeijer likes nothing better than settling in with a new book along with some delicious baking.

Be sure to join us at the Billings Library Book Fair & Bake Sale at the Park Centre July 5th, from 11am - 2pm! Lunch will also be available to purchase. Donations of books can be brought to the library between now and then, while baking donations can be dropped off at the Park Centre the morning of the 5th.

Speaking of books, Team Ferguson read a scary classic last weekend. It scared the Dickens out of us. Was that joke too specific? All well, it fills a very Nietzche market. However, of all our books, our favorite is the one we received last Christmas. There is no tome like the present.

The Old Mill Heritage Centre is excited to announce their upcoming Historic Speakers Series. Steve Paikin will be at the Kagawong Park Centre at 7:30 pm on July 12th, and later in the summer, award winning journalist and bestselling author Andrew Cohen will visit, as well as Patricia Pearson, granddaughter of former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. Admission is free, but seating is limited. For more information, contact the Old Mill Heritage Centre at 705-282-1442 or email oldmillheritage@billingstwp.ca

Euchre continues each week for the cardsharps in the area. Last week’s results:  Ladies High Score - Kal Merrylees; Mens High Score - Don Curry & Bob Cacciotti; Ladies Loners - Lil Boyd & Sally Langtree; Mens Loners - Fred Pickard; Low Score - Claude LeFond; Door Prize - Kal Merrylees.

Our words of wisdom this week: Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.

June 16, 2017

As the official start of summer approaches, we here at Team Fergmeijer can’t wait to blame our normal lack of productivity on the hot weather. Seriously, have you ever looked at the last load or two of dirty laundry and considered just throwing them away? We have.

Happy birthday to goes out to Marie M who turned 29 over the weekend. And in other celebratory news, congratulations go out to Willa Wilson who celebrated her upcoming retirement with friends and family last weekend!

Next movie night is June 24th at the Billings Library; they will be showing Power Rangers at 7pm. Admission is free, as usual. Check out the library Facebook page for upcoming show dates, titles and trailers. And don’t forget that the library is also offering a variety of board games for all ages, available for playing in the library or checking out for a week of fun at home.

All women affected by cancer are welcome to join the Women’s Circle of Hope support group Sunday, June 18 from 1:30pm - 3:30pm at St. John’s Anglican Church on the bay. Contact Mary at 705-210-0733 or Ciann at 705-282-7197 for more information.

This time of year gets us feeling philosophical. We start to ponder some of the ‘big’ questions of the universe, like how time consuming is eating a clock? Are rocks actually soft, but just tense up when we touch them? Do dogs follow us into the bathroom when we pee because we follow him to the yard when he goes and he just thinks that’s the way it’s done? If your shirt isn’t tucked into your pants, does that mean your pants are tucked into your shirt? But we digress.

It was great to see one of the most loyal fans of our column out and about in Kagawong last week. Thanks for stopping in to see us, Peter Carter!

The Old Mill Heritage Centre is excited to announce their upcoming Historic Speakers Series. Steve Paikin will be at the Kagawong Park Centre at 7:30 pm on July 12th, and later in the summer, award winning journalist and bestselling author Andrew Cohen will visit, as well as Patricia Pearson, granddaughter of former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. Admission is free, but seating is limited. For more information, contact the Old Mill Heritage Centre at 705-282-1442 or email oldmillheritage@billingstwp.ca

The Economic Development Committee is hosting the Kagawong Holistic Health Fair at the Park Centre on July 24th, complete with information on holistic health and wellness, a water ceremony, medicine walk, drumming, group meditation, talks, displays and vendors.

Euchre continues each week for the cardsharps in the area. Last week’s results:  Ladies High Score - Lil Boyd; Mens High Score - Bob Cacciotti; Ladies Loners - Kal Merrylees; Mens Loners - Mike Arbour; Low Score - Claude Lefond; Door Prize - Claude Lefond.

Our words of wisdom for the week: Never trust stairs - they’re always up to something. Have a great week!

June 9, 2017

Like most Kagawongians, Team Fergmeijer took advantage of the warmer weather this week to celerybrate the planting of their gardens. But we weren’t the only ones: local agriculturalist Jamie Ward told us “I love my garden from my head tomatoes, yo!”

Tomorrow night! Jay Aymar, “one of the hardest travelling singer-songwriters this country has to offer,” is playing at the Main Street Café! Tickets are $20, and seating is limited. Contact the Café for more information.

Also tomorrow - it’s Saturday night at the movies! The Billings Library will be showing CHiPs (rated R) at 7pm. Admission is free, as usual. Check out the library Facebook page for upcoming show dates, titles and trailers. And don’t forget that the library is also offering a variety of board games for all ages, available for playing in the library or checking out for a week of fun at home.

Have you been to The Old Mill Heritage Centre recently? If not, make plans to do so! Their Lester B. Pearson exhibit opened to rave reviews, and the staff and volunteers have done a phenomenal job of recreating his office. This is not an exhibit you will see anywhere else! Check out the Old Mill Heritage Centre Facebook page for more information.

Olive these garden puns are terrible. We’d make better vegetable jokes, but nobody would carrot all.

All women affected by cancer are welcome to join the Women’s Circle of Hope support group Sunday, June 18 from 1:30pm - 3:30pm at St. John’s Anglican Church on the bay. Contact Mary at 705-210-0733 or Ciann at 705-282-7197 for more information.

Happy birthday to Maria who turns 29 tomorrow! Some advice for anyone celebrating a birthday this week: forget about the past, you can’t change it; and forget about the present, because we didn’t get you one.

The Economic Development Committee is hosting the Kagawong Holistic Health Fair at the Park Centre on July 24th, complete with information on holistic health and wellness, a water ceremony, medicine walk, drumming, group meditation, talks, displays and vendors.

Cardiology might not be the study of euchre, but that doesn’t mean cards aren’t good for your heart! Euchre continues each week for the cardsharps in the area. Last week’s results:  Women's High Score - Lynda Mullis; Men's High Score - Mike Arbour & Fred Pickard; Women's Loners - Susan Arbour & Sally Langtree; Men's High Loners - Bob Cacciotti; Low Score - Bev Pickard; Door Prize - Phyllis Cacciotti.

Oh my, look at the thyme, and we’re all out of garden puns. Please romaine calm! If anyone has any more vegetable jokes, lettuce know.

June 2, 2017

With the nice weather recently, it seems Manitoulin Island has become the host for the annual Northern Ontario black fly and mosquito convention. Seriously, we know we’re delicious, but let us enjoy this warmer weather in peace! The worst part is when you aren’t sure if you’ve been bitten by a dozen mosquitoes, or if you’ve been bitten a dozen times by the same mosquito.

Nothing takes our minds off itchy bug bites like food, so Team Fergmeijer is excited about the homemade lasagna dinner tonight (really, it’s spaghetti flavoured cake!). Stop by the Park Centre from 5pm-7pm for a meal out with friends AND homemade pie! Put on by St. John’s Anglican Church, you can eat-in or take-out. $15 for adults and $7 for children under 10. Come on by!

Also happening tonight - all night long, in fact! - Manitoulin Secondary is hosting a Relay for Life event. Teams walk through the night to raise money that goes toward cancer research, prevention, and outreach. It’s not too late to make a donation - check out http://relayforlife.ca/manitoulinss

The Old Mill Heritage Centre continues to present a new exhibit on Lester B. Pearson - this is one you won’t want to miss! Opening to rave reviews, staff and volunteers have done a phenomenal job. Check out the Old Mill Heritage Centre Facebook page for more information.

Like their namesakes, our KGB (Kagawong Gobble Brigade) have been infiltrating all areas of the village as smaller groups have broken off from the main flock. We’ve had reports of sightings of the Rainbow Heights Horde, Serendipity Squawkers, and the Maple Point Posse. Exercise caution when crossing paths with the KGB this time of year as they are quite protective of their young’uns.

Happy birthday to Trish K, a kissing cousin to the better half of one half of Team Fergmeijer. She has had a big year so far, so we’re sure turning 29 is barely a blip on her radar. Being mentioned in this column probably ranks pretty high in lifetime achievements, though. Happy birthday, too, to a special pair of ladies also turning 29 this coming week. Their names are a closely kept secret, but Team Fergmeijer is kindly accepting gifts on their behalf.  

Set Saturday, June 10 aside to see Jay Aymar, “one of the hardest travelling singer-songwriters this country has to offer,” at the Main Street Café! Tickets are $20, and seating is limited. Contact the Café for more information.

The next Billings Library movie night will be June 10th where they will be showing CHiPs (R). Check out the library Facebook page for upcoming show dates, titles and trailers. And don’t forget that the library is also offering a variety of board games for all ages, available for playing in the library or checking out for a week of fun at home.

Euchre continues each week for the cardsharps in the area. Last week’s results: Women's High Score - Elva Llyod; Men's High Score - Jim Langtree; Women's Loners - Bev Pickard; Men's High Loners - Lil Boyd; Low Score - Mike Arbour; Door Prize - Fred Pickard.

We wanted to leave you with a (B) positive message this week: If you’ve ever felt too small to be effective, you’ve never been in bed with a mosquito. Happy swatting!